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alliantgroup Welcomes Three Former IRS Leaders as Advisors to the alliantNational Office

HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — alliantgroup is proud to announce the additions of former IRS leaders Howard Lewis, Dorothy Taylor and Ron Cerruti as advisors to the firm’s alliantNational office in Washington, D.C. All three are former managers with over 30 years of experience at the Service and will add to alliantNational’s growing bench of former IRS personnel, offering their counsel on issues related to standard IRS practice and procedure, tax controversy and other complex tax issues.

“I could not be happier to welcome Howard, Dorothy and Ron as advisors to our firm,” said Steven Miller, former IRS Acting Commissioner and alliantgroup National Director of Tax. “Having worked with all three during my years at the IRS, I have nothing but admiration for their public service and I look forward to their contributions in shaping the future of alliantNational. Their hands-on experience in the world of tax controversy will be a great asset to our clients and offer an insider’s perspective into what the IRS and state tax authorities are looking for in regards to compliance and risk management.”

During his 32 years at the IRS, Howard Lewis served as a valuation engineer, and first-level, mid-level and top-level manager in both the engineering and valuation programs as well as in the corporate examination programs. In 2000, he was selected as the first IRS National Program Manager for the engineering and valuation programs, where he established the staffing of approximately 400 employees and focused on improving the knowledge, skill and abilities of IRS engineers and appraisers. Lewis also wrote the first valuation standards ever implemented by the IRS and was the Service’s quality improvement coordinator, where he assembled, trained and facilitated dozens of teams in their system improvement activities. It is this experience and knowledge that Lewis will leverage for the benefit of small and mid-sized businesses as an advisor to allliantNational.

In her distinguished 30-year career with the IRS, Dorothy Taylor was promoted quickly through the Service’s chain of command. She began as a field engineer but rose in rank to positions of front-line manager, regional analyst, national program manager and finally territory manager. In 1990, Taylor accepted the position of IRS Engineering Manager for the state of Florida and in 1995 was selected as the National Office Program Manager, with nationwide oversight for the engineering program and reporting responsibility to the assistant commissioner of examination in Washington, D.C. In 2000, Taylor was selected for the new position of engineering territory manager, a position she would hold for 13 years at the IRS and one where she engaged with taxpayers under examination to resolve controversial tax issues.

Another longtime IRS employee, Ron Cerruti worked for the Service as a forester, engineering and valuation manager, analyst and senior manager. In his capacity as a senior manager, he was responsible for all IRS engineering, real property appraisal and business valuation work in the western United States. Cerruti was also one of the original re-designers of the IRS engineering and valuation program and a member of the IRS Conservation Easement Issue Management Team. He has instructed at four National Land Trust Alliance Rallies and presented at professional conferences sponsored by the Appraisal Institute, ASA, ASFMRA, California Bar Association and others.

“With the additions of Ron, as well as Howard and Dorothy, alliantNational is taking yet another step in expanding the scope of our services, offering unparalleled knowledge and authority in all issues related to tax,” said Shane T. Frank, alliantgroup COO.

A division of alliantgroup, alliantNational assists CPAs and U.S. businesses alike in navigating difficult tax matters, offering both representation and support while working with IRS and state tax officials. Comprised of a world class team of former IRS executives, congressional staffers, technical experts and experienced litigators, alliantNational provides support in a number of specialized areas, including audit and credit defense, captive insurance, controversy services, domestic and international tax planning and tax exempt services. Led by the experience of former IRS executives Steven Miller, Mark W. Everson and Kathy Petronchak and former Senior Counsel to the Senate Finance Committee Dean Zerbe, alliantNational has the knowledge and experience to help CPAs and their clients successfully navigate the tax code.